Dominican beauty exits pageant on Haitian deportation row

Santo Domingo.- The ongoing flap over alleged deportations of Haitians from the Dominican Republic might have derailed Miss Dominican Republic Lesleybell Troncoso’s bid for the ‘Miss Carnival’ pageant crown slated to take place in St Vincent the Grenadines next Friday.

According to Shelley Clarke, Editor/Managing Director of The News newspaper in St Vincent & the Grenadines, Troncoso has reportedly withdrawn from the pageant, citing the death of her grandmother in the Dominican Republic.

The withdrawal comes in the wake of requests by several dozen people on social media, who called on St Vincent & the Grenadiers PM Ralph Gonsalves to withdraw the invitation to Dominican Republic’s candidate the the beauty contest.